


Baby Steps

by cordeliadelayne



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, Light Angst, M/M, arthur admitting he has feelings, glad to be alive, start of something - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-09 03:09:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6887152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin pushes, Arthur pushes back.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby Steps

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to Livejournal in 2008.

It should have been obvious from that moment, when Arthur turned back and looked at him, relief written for all to see, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t till later, when he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, cleaning Arthur’s boots, that Merlin started to fit the pieces together. But the time never seemed quite right, until two days had passed since he’d nearly died and he knew that there’d never be anything like a right time for the two of them.

Merlin had come to the conclusion that today was the day he had to act, when Arthur strode into the room. He barely spared Merlin a glance before going over and rummaging in a trunk.

“Gwen kissed me,” Merlin said to Arthur’s back. It wasn’t ideal, since he couldn’t see Arthur’s expression, but the way his body tensed up was evidence enough for Merlin.

“Was she delirious too?” Arthur asked. Merlin grinned.

“No, she was just happy to see me alive.”

“There’s no accounting for taste.”

“You were glad to see me too,” Merlin said, boldly. He knew by now that the best way to get Arthur to open up was to push him _just_ enough. It was a delicate balancing act, but Merlin was confident he had Arthur all figured out.

“Of course,” Arthur replied, turning around. “I’ve only just got you house trained.”

He started walking towards the door but Merlin jumped up and stood in front of him.

“Bit more than that, though, right?”

Arthur looked at Merlin as if he were something a horse had just produced, a look he hadn’t properly bestowed on him since their first meeting. A little voice inside Merlin’s head which sounded an awful lot like Gaius was telling him that perhaps this wasn’t the best time after all. Another, more dragon-like voice, kept wittering on about lost chances.

“Are you even listening to me?” Arthur asked. His expression warred between exasperation and fondness until exasperation won. “I said that father has convened a meeting with his counsellors and when I tell him my servant talking gibberish is the reason I’m late he’s not going to be very pleased with you, is he?”

“I saved your life. _Again._ That has to count for something,” he retorted, getting annoyed at Arthur’s apparent pigheadedness.

“You’re just a servant, Merlin.” And he stepped around Merlin and started out the door.

Merlin sank back on to the floor and angrily started scraping mud from Arthur’s boots. Why did he let himself hope when all it did was backfire on him? He was so intent on his work that he didn’t hear Arthur return until he heard him clearing his throat from the doorway.

“To my father, you’re just a servant.”

Merlin started to smile, relief slipping through him, but Arthur was still looking very serious and Merlin couldn’t figure out why.

“I have to go.”

“Right.” Merlin nodded encouragingly.

“I should…” Arthur looked behind him but the corridor was empty. And his father would punish him for being ten minutes late the same as two.

“Aren’t you going then?” Merlin asked, all genuine bafflement and confused smirk.

“Yeah, I’m just gathering my thoughts.” He straightened his back and put on his haughtiest expression. The slight twitch of his lips gave the game away though.

So Merlin stared at Arthur. And Arthur stared at Merlin until Merlin shifted uncomfortably. He fought very hard not to close his eyes under Arthur’s scrutiny; he could feel the magic in his bones settling deep down inside him, where all his feelings for Arthur, good _and_ bad were buried. It wouldn’t do to release them just yet though, especially not when he could see Arthur’s boots standing to attention all by themselves out of the corner of his eye.

“I ought to go and see if Gaius wants any help,” Merlin said, standing up. He stepped forward and shook his head to clear it.

Arthur chose that moment to take two steps further into the room and pull Merlin into a kiss.

It was awkward and sloppy and hurried and Merlin barely got his brain behind responding before Arthur pulled away a little, looking just as shell-shocked as Merlin felt.

“Don’t ever nearly die on me again,” Arthur muttered against Merlin’s lips. And then he turned around and hurried out of the room, for real this time.

Merlin was still standing perfectly still ten minutes later when Gaius came to find him.

“Well, I can see I’m not going to get anything useful out of you, today. No change there then.”

Merlin barely registered the complaint, his fingers going up to touch his lips instead.

“Whatever’s the matter? Are you thinking of that poison again?” Gaius asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer. “Well I’m not accepting that as an excuse for you to lie about all day. I have a long list of ingredients I need collecting.”

“Right.” Merlin took a deep breath. “Right, yes, ingredients.” He dashed out of the room. “Come on Gaius,” he called from the corridor. “It’s a beautiful day outside, let’s enjoy the sun.”

Gaius watched his eager retreat with some bemusement and shook his head. “That boy is really very strange.”

But he followed him outside all the same.


End file.
